Finding His Feet

Untitled from Katie on Vimeo.

During the last few months of therapy Gabe has made progress in many small ways.  It would be easiest to measure progress in big movements: rolling over, sitting up, pivoting, crawling, creeping, etc. Yet, we have learned to watch intentionally, and celebrate quietly (sometimes), the itty bitty milestones. 

One type of therapy Gabe is receiving is called the Anat Baniel method. The theory is that the parts of our body can be mapped to our brain through light, slow touch and movement.  In fact, they believe we all learn to move through random movements that are successful.   All movement is initiated by the spine, so they teach that rolling, sitting, crawling, standing, and climbing climb can all be learned from our most natural position - lying on our backs.  We believe with them that Gabe's brain has the ability to change and form new connections in place of some that may currently be missing.  His therapist works intentionally with the movements and abilities he is displaying, instead of prematurely pushing him into positions that accentuate his diability.

A major goal in our last 3 months at BRAINS has been to help Gabe recognize his feet and to be able to rock his pelvis and bend his spine enough to get his feet up to his mouth.  This is the "map" he needs to be able to sit correctly and to eventually get in and out of sitting on his own.  As you can see he is finally initiating this movement on his own and we could not be more pleased that Gabe is finding his feet.

If you are interested in reading more, Kelly, who is trained as a "traditional" therapist wrote about her experience with BRAINS and is now in the process of training to be an Anat Baniel therapist.

You might also enjoy checking out some great clips highlighting the changes in another cutie and the way he is moving.

Exploring Possibilities

This past weekend I attended a 2 day workshop on the Anat Baniel Method.  The workshop was specifically geared toward parents and professionals who work with children who have special needs.  Anat Baniel is a student of Feldenkrais, who designed therapy to improve function within the body through movements that increase self awareness. 

To be honest, I was most looking forward to the time to catch up with, and bounce ideas off, my friends who also have new babies with spina bifida.  The conversations did not disappoint.  In addition, throughout my professional teaching career I was incredibly interested in brain research as it relates to learning.  The information presented throughout the weekend was right up my alley in that way.  I learned much about the brain's involvement in, and need for, movement with attention.  

The conference gave me a lot to process and left me with decisions to make as to how we would like to progress with therapy for Gabe in the months to come.  I am sure I will be writing more about this soon, but for now I need to take some time to review my mind's notes and summarize my feelings about what was presented.